Drinking It In
by Autumn Rayne
Summary: A fifth follow-up to "Ripple of Hope".


**a/n: **Just in case you've missed it:

I Don't Have To Do Anything

Forgetting Something

Tumble Lightly, Dear House of Cards

What's Up, Doc?

…may the hijinks continue…

**Drinking It In**

I've been sitting here on the couch, Kate's head in my lap, my hand on her shoulder, for about twenty minutes now. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the living room and with the bit of light from the time display on the DVR, I can just make out the slight crease in her brow. With a soft sigh, I lean my head against the back of the couch and close my eyes, hoping to gain the little sleep to be found in such a position. I am still trying to wrap my head around the trust she is showing me right now. Though we have come to know each other better, I certainly didn't think we had reached a comfortable level with this type of physical proximity. Well, I didn't think _Kate_ had. _I_ am in her personal space _all_ of the time. And not just because I enjoy annoying her. That is simply an added bonus.

But…now that I think about it… There _was_ the whole inattentional blindness demonstration. I suppose that _did_ require a certain amount of proximal comfort. Would she really have opened her shirt, straddled my lap and pressed her chest into my face if there _was_ no comfort?

And the foot rub… She did ask me to take of my shirt.

And I never did put it back on.

I lift my head and open my eyes as I hear a soft but strangled moan come from Kate. She shifts slightly and makes the noise again. Then I feel her hand tighten just a bit on my thigh. She's dreaming, and I gather that it's not a good dream. She lifts her head suddenly, though not far off the throw pillow.

"Wh-" I stay quiet, I don't want to startle her, but I gently squeeze her shoulder. "Ben?" she calls.

"Yes?" She puts her head back onto the pillow, and I lift my hand from her shoulder as she wiggles until she is on her back.

"Ben." She turns to face me, her left hand finding the cushion to the right of my legs, and props herself up. I can't see her face, but I know she is just a breath away from me. I stay still, my hand suspended above my own shoulder.

"Yes?" I repeat, though this time the word leaves my mouth slowly.

"I was…I was…dreaming." I know she is telling me, but her inflection suggests she is not entirely sure what she was doing.

"Are you all right?" I ask, as I can feel her body shaking.

"I don't know," she whispers. I lower my hand, thankful that I end up placing it on her side instead of, well, anywhere else. Reluctantly, I help her into a more relaxed sitting position and I reach to my right to turn on the lamp on the end table. I turn to look at Kate. Her back is to me and she's running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry," she says with a nervous laugh.

"Don't be." I shift a little, turning to square my body with hers. "You can't be held responsible for what you dream." I reach out, gently rubbing a reassuring hand over her shoulder. The tension in her body is incredible. I would offer a back rub, but after the foot rub…I can't handle another round of Kate sighing and moaning. If that _is _how she responds to back rubs.

However, the thought of her rubbing her finger along her bottom lip gives me an idea. An idea I think I can take advantage of at some point tonight…

"Oh, Ben." Kate moves again, her back now to the middle of the living room as she looks at me. "I fell asleep on you. I'm so sorry." I smirk lightly.

"Believe me, Katie, if it would have been a problem, I would have rolled you onto the floor." I give her a moment to chuckle at the visual. "What were you dreaming about?" All hints of a smile leave her face and she looks away. "Katie," I taunt, hooking a finger under her chin to direct her attention back to me. "What were you dreaming about?" Her eyes drop to my mouth and she lifts a finger, gently touching the middle of my lips. But, then she frowns and I'm thinking maybe I _don't_ want to know about the dream.

"You were a vampire," she answers quietly.

"A vampire?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. Her finger wanders down my chin, lingering slightly before she drops her hand back to her side.

"Yeah," she smiles shyly. "I don't know what brought that on. You, uh, you tried to…to bite me."

"Tried?"

"Well, did. You…you k-kissed me and…then you bit…bit my neck." I nod and she touches my lips again. Oh, too close, Katie. Too close. "You don't have any pointy teeth in there, do you?" I shake my head in the negative and start mentally reciting the name of every Oakland A's player I can think of.

Which isn't very many at the moment.

"You know," I start, clearing my throat. "You did thank me earlier for 'being human'. Maybe that was what caused your…interesting little dream." Please, Katie, take the bait. Take the bait.

"Yeah. Maybe." Okay, well, she answered, but I was hoping that answer would come with a change in position. A farther away change in position. Katie! You are killing me!

"W-what, exactly, did you mean by that, anyway?" I hope to hell that she can't hear the squeak in my voice.

"Oh, well, I just…" She frowns as she tries to find the right words to articulate her thoughts. "You didn't have to try and re-open Lea's case." Kate leans back a bit and I relax a little. A very little.

"We established that already. I don't _have to _do anything."

"Ben," she scolds with a smile. "I mean that it was…nice of you."

"Nice?"

"Nice. And after you told me her parole was denied…" She shakes her head, looking away. I see a few tears slip down her cheek. "You took my hand, you brought me coffee… You showed…feelings."

"Feelings?" She lightly slaps my chest (still bare, by the way) as she realizes I am toying with her by repeating the words that are awkward for her to say.

"Feelings, Ben," she laughs gently. "I just…it was the first time you seemed to actually care about what happened during a case." She shrugs. "And you didn't make fun of me for being a girl and crying." I reach up and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

"It's all for fun, Katie," I say quietly. "I understand that you are a girl and cannot control your emotions as well as us men." She laughs whole-heartedly now and bats my hand away.

"You're mean."

"Oh, another 'human' trait!" Kate, from her backwards position on the couch, lunges across the small space between us and pretends to choke me. I laugh and settle my hands on her hips, pushing her down, laying her body over my legs, her head on the couch's armrest. We both stop laughing.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asks softly after a moment. I shake my head slowly, whispering my response.

"I had to." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I catch my mistake. Let the taunting begin.

"But you don't _have to_ do anything." There it is, along with the expected teasing smile.

"That's the funny thing about you, Katie." I move my left hand to her arm, gently circling my thumb across the inside of her elbow. "When it comes to you, I find myself doing a lot of things I don't have to do." I feel the muscles in her arm stiffen slightly and Kate bites gently at the left side of her bottom lip. This is confirmation that I have found the sensitive spot along the inside of her arm that makes her lips tingle, just as the foot rub accomplished.

The only difference is that this time…this time I am close enough to touch my lips to hers and feel that tingle.


End file.
